Proportioning-drum for mixing fertilizer materials.



A. C. EGGERT. PROPORTIONING DRUM FOR MIXINGFERTILIZER MATERIALS.APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1515.

1 1 98, 900, Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

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PROPORTIONING-DBUM FOR MIXING FERTILIZER MATERIALS.

Specification of Letters Patent. i

. Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed February 17, 1915. Serial No. 8,921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALGERNON C. Eeenn'r,

citizen of the United States, residing at Co- I lumbus, in the county ofFranklin and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement Drums for Mixing Fertilizer Materials, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Soils in different regions differ very greatly in their chemicalcomposition, and fertilizer is oftentimes applied wastefully and withouta knowledge as to what is best for the particular crop to be raised.Fertilizer has heretofore been usually furnished ready-prepared andoftentimes ill adapted to the requirements of the particular soil towhich it is applied. The more advanced and profitable method is toselect a mixture adapted to the particular soil. It is rapidly becomingclear to the farmer that it is economy to purchase only those materialswhich his particular soil requires, and the object of this invention isto provide a simple, inexpensive and convenient means whereby thosematerials, if there be a number of them, can be automatically mixed inregulated proportions.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described andthen particularly claimed. 7

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation with parts broken out and insection. Fig. 2 is a combined top plan View and horizontal section ofthe proportioning drum. Fig. 3" is a vertical section on the line 3-3Fig. l, a portion only of the hopper being shown.

The proportioning device includes a drum 5 of cylindrical form of sheetmetal that is divided vertically by wooden partitions 6 set transverselybetween longitudinal wooden walls 8-to form large end cells 9 and bylongitudinal walls 10 and a transverse wall 11 to form intermediatesmaller cells 12. Each cell is provided with a stationary wooden bottomas at 13. The larger cells serve to measure the materials theproportions of which are greater than others in a given mixture. Tocontrol the proportions of materials measured with great nicety Iprovide each cell with a movable upwardly curved bottom 22 of sheetmetal provided with a central threaded nut 14. The curve of the upperside of the bottom 22 conforms to the curvature of thedrum so that theraising or lowering of the bottom a given disin Proportioningi tanceincreases or diminishes the capacity of the cell by an equal volume.Each nut 14.1'6C6IV8S a screw 15 that is suitably swiveled at 16 to thebottom of the cell or compartment.

Erected above the drum is a hopper 17 that is divided into passages orcompartments by vertical partitions 17 coinciding with the verticaltransverse partitions in the proportionmg drum so that material supplledto the passages of the hopper feeds by gravity into the cells. Themovable bottoms 22 of the cells are adjusted by means of a socket wrench18 fitting the squared end of the screw 15, said'wrench having a longhandle permitting-accessto the screw through the hopper. Because themovable bottom is rectangular and just fits in the cell the turning ofits supporting screw causes the said bottom to be raised or loweredaccording to the direction in which the screw is turned or according asthe capacity of the cell is to i be made greater or less.

The proportioning drum is mounted to rotate under the hopper so thateach cell receives its material independently of the others and so thatupon a half rotation from the material receiving position each celldischarges its contents into a common chamber 20. The chamber 20 cancontain a screw 21 for mixing or partially mixing and discharging thematerial for further treatment or use. The said screw and hopper can bedriven by any suitable power it being convenient to gear the shaft ofthe screw and the shaft of the proportioning drum together so that thedriving of one drives the other.

Within the limits of my claims the parts can be varied without departingfrom the gist of the invention.

What I claim is 1. In a machine for proportioning and mixing thecomponents of fertilizer, the combination of a rotary drum having aplurality of distinct cells, means in said cells for'varying thecapacity thereof, a stationary hopper having distinct passages forfeeding different materials to said distinct cells, and a common chamberinto which said cells discharge and a mixing device in said commonchamber.

2. In a machine for proportioning and mixing the components offertilizer, the combination of a rotary drum having a plurality ofdistinct cells, means in said cells a common chamber containing a mixingdefor 'arying thevcapacity thereof consisting" Vice into which saidcells discharge.

of a plate curved to conform to the curva- E N FOCEB ture of the drumand an axially stationary \ALG RNO J I I screw for ad listing; saidplate, a stationary Witnesses:

hopper having distlnct passages for feedlng BENJAMIN FINCKEL,

different material to sand distlnct cells, and G120. M. FINCKEL.

